casual cooking and living

Tag Archives: Tyler Florence

Love cold sesame noodles? No need to call your favorite chinese restaurant to deliver, you can make your own delicious homemade noodles just as quickly using a few simple ingredients! Cold sesame noodles are also a great side dish while grilling your favorite meat , fish or vegetable. Love another great side dish to entertain with that can be made in advance and set aside until you are ready to serve. This recipe is from Tyler Florence and my favorite recipe for cold sesame noodles!

Cook the noodles in large pot of boiling unsalted water over medium heat until barely tender and still firm. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water until cold. Drain the noodles really well and transfer to a wide bowl; toss with the sesame oil so they don’t stick together. Chill.
In a blender combine the peanut oil, ginger, garlic, chili paste, lime juice, brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water. Blend. Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce until well coated. Serve at room temperature or chilled; garnish with the sesame seeds, green onions, and cilantro.
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

The taste and aroma of the holiday season is delivered with this easy and delicious spice cake, perfect to add to any menu during the holiday season! It’s moist from buttermilk and the taste of gingerbread.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the pan bottom and place it inside; then spray the paper. Set aside.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg, molasses, sugar, and melted butter until thick. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat for 1 minute after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the cake’s structure. Mix until the batter is smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth down the top of the batter until even. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan, and then slice it in wedges. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve with whipped cream.

My friend Eva, make my day with a basket of vegetables, the results of the summer harvest in her garden. The basket was filled with beautiful eggplants, zucchini, squash and tomatoes. I remembered how my mom Ceil, would love to make ratatouille every summer using these same ingredients. It was a staple barbecue side dish, when we were in the height of summer. I’ve tried different variations and this by far is my favorite and reminds me the most of mom’s only with a few extra ingredients to kick up the volume on the taste. Tyler Florence really has the ultimate recipe, so no need for me to mess around. I’ve offered a few suggestions below for ingredient options. For example, instead of opening a tin of anchovies, I always keep a tube of anchovy paste handy in the fridge. I like how the paste just melts into the dish as an ingredient. I made this over the weekend and used the leftovers the next day for pasta. Celebrate the summer harvest using this recipe!

DirectionsLine a large platter with paper towels. Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the eggplant, season generously with salt and pepper, and let that cook down for 10 to 12 minutes, until the eggplant is soft and wilted. Remove the eggplant from the pan and onto a platter to drain. Next stop, zucchini: cook it the same way in 1/4 cup oil, then add it to the platter with the eggplant.

Add another 1/4 cup olive oil to the pan, then the anchovies or paste, onions, garlic and herbs. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions get nice and caramelized. Add the tomatoes and cook that down for 10 to 12 minutes, until pulpy. Return the eggplant and zucchini to the pan, crack open the chile, and add that too or season with red chili flakes. Season with salt and pepper and let the ratatouille cook slowly for about 20 minutes, until the mixture is soft, mushy and juicy; you want all the flavors to come together. Stir in the vinegar and let cool to room temperature.